A very well done tutorial. Based on the quality of aurora pictures throughout your gallery, it's safe to say that you know what you're doing.

The ability to explain different key aspects to taking good pictures of the aurora, as well as offering some interesting facts about solar flares and how they affect potential photographs are fascinating. The graphs showing the different intensities of solar flares are easily explained when you have examples of well done pictures.

Your approach to showing what gear that you would recommend and going from there to less expensive gear demonstrates that you know what the limitations for getting good photos are and how to fit them into a budget.

This is a very original and understandable tutorial. Though there are a few photographing terms that the average person might have to look up, they are relevant and well explained.

The Artist has requested Critique on this Artwork

Hi. I just found somewhere on the internet something about UV-filter creating "halos" in the center of the picture due to certains waves of light in the auroras; I wandered if you ever experienced something similar? According to the writer(s) the quality of the UV-filter, and the type (color) of aurora impacted it.

Extremely interesting to read, even though I don't have a good camera.You said that strong Kp's can result in Auroras as far down as Italy, but I don't suppose those happen very often, do they? I would love to witness them myself one day, but as of now I don't have the means to travel that far.

Oh no, that far south is extremely rare, it needs to be an exeptionaly strong aurora.Perhaps later down the road you get the chance to go see the aurora, and I really suggest you take it if it presents itself.

Yes, I looked up the apps you suggested and ended up installing Aurora Buddy. It's got a warning when the Kp reaches a set limit, and it is said in the description that a KP 7 can be seen in Britain (same latitude as the Netherlands) so who knows what might happen!

But if I ever get the change, I will definitely go check them out! Maybe even visit Norway to see them. It's a shame I didn't knew about their appearance in Scandinavia before though, as we went there for a full week during a school trip.

Very glad you like it, and glad to be of help.Nikon d3100 is just fine to capture the aurora, if you have a lens and camera combo that allows you to get to 8 seconds or less shutter speed then you will be able to capture the movement in it.

I am using a Nikon D800 which is very good at high ISO and very good lens ( 14-24mm f/2.8 ) those combined gives some very nice images even at high iso.But you do not absolutely need the best, I could clear up images just fine on my D90 shot at 1600 iso, where I use Lightroom for the bulk of noise reduction and if needed some more in Photoshop.

Canon has superb cameras as well, its all about preferences, Im not a brand guy, I would have bought the Mark3 if it has had the same pixel performance, and you can shoot just the same images with canon.Its gear to a certain degree but most of it is the photographer.

Thank you. Yes the initial measurement was clocked in at x12 I beleive it was, but later to x45.I just tried to keep the tutorial more point based and easier, as it is really only the key elements you need to know prior to taking pictures of the aurora.

I discovered the joy of hunting the aurora while a trip to Iceland in december & the emotion it gives...

Didnt make so good shots, though. (Not as good as I hoped)

Interesting thing : I "discovered" a way to find auroras when you don't see them clearly and when you don't really know where to look for it.

While being in Iceland, I used to take random long exposure shots of the sky, and sometimes, a light green color appeared on the corner of a shot. Then I drove to that direction, took a couple other shots, it became stronger.

After a while, I came to a spot where I can see the aurora perfectly, without the camera.

The camera is a useful tool with a more accurate vision than our human eye, so it made the hunt way simpler.

Yeah I use that trick too, sometimes just go outside just do a couple of shots to see if there is any aurora lurking behind the clouds other times to know where it is coming from when I know it is going towards a clear sky, so I can set up my camera ahead of time.

This tutorial is something I've searched, an aswer to my prayers! I live in Lappland of Finland and I often see gorgeous aurora borealis when walking home at night (or sometimes even at morning) but I haven't managed to get proper pictures. Yet that is, thanks to this tutorial, I think I'm going to make it the next time : ) Thank you, I found this really useful.